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Over 18,612 reviews forManchaca Plumbers from people just like you.

A

"I had called several plumbers through Angie'slist they were not able to send anyone out. They said I would have to turn the upstairs AC off in order for it" ...More to stop overflowing. It is in the hottest days of the summer right now, and that was not an option for the kids sleeping upstairs.
I called C&W Plumbing after normal business hours, and

answered. She said she would check availability and call me right back. She did call me right back, and told me she would send

over as soon as he was done with the job he was on. She also called back to give me a time frame to let me know when he would be here.

arrived and introduced himself, and another co-worker he had with him. They were very professional, and got straight work. They explained to me the initial steps that would be taken and went over pricing with me. They showed me what they found that was causing the problem. I had asked them about another issue I was having with the master shower. They told me they would have to take it apart, take some pictures, get the parts price, and than could quote me an estimate to fix it. I gave them an "A" plus rating in all areas. I REALLY appreciate that were able to come out, and get the problem solved in such short notice! I will be calling them again to follow up with our master shower! Thanks Guys!

-Brian R.

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was prompt, courteous, and fixed the problem of the broken line in a mess of mud. He showed me how to turn on and off and clean out sprinkler heads.

When you need a plumber, especially for an expensive project for which you have time to plan, make sure you hire one who is fully qualified and licensed in your state. A plumber may be an apprentice, a journeyman or a highly qualified master plumber, depending on the level of training and experience.

Inspiration & Ideas

Angie's Answers

First - NOT full septic tank - if that was the case you would be getting backup of sewage into the lowest drains in the house, and possible very slow flushing or refusal to drain out of the bowl - the opposite of your case.

Second - I assume you are the owner. If a renter or on a lease, this type of problem may be the responsibility of your landlord, depending on the terms of your lease or rental agreement.

OK - two possible situations here - low water in BOWL, or low water in TANK. I am assuming your toilet flushes OK, with adequate water to clean out the bowl, and that it is a typical type toilet with a tank sitting on the back of the bowl. If this is not the case and it is a designer toilet or looks like those at public restrooms (no tank), then the BOWL answers still apply if it is initially refilling OK, but if not enough refill water coming in at all then call a plumber.

First, low water in the toilet BOWL case. If the water in the toilet BOWL is low after flushing, I see four likely causes, in order of most likelihood -

1) the fill valve is not putting enough water into the toilet bowl. If you take the top off the tank, you will see a small hose (typically black plastic) coming from the fill valve (a vertical mechanism, usually at left side of tank, that the incoming water tube or flex hose connects to the bottom of on the bottom side of the tank). While the tank is refilling after a flush, a steady but not large flow of water flows through this fill tube and down into a vertical pipe or tube (usually brass or plastic and about 3/4 inch diameter, which stands almost full height of tank). The small tube puts water into this pipe, from where it flows into and refills the toilet bowl. This is also the overflow tube, which keeps the tank from overflowing if the fill valve fails to shut off. If the fill valve has a problem or the fill tube has a blockage, it may not be letting enough water into the bowl. Also, check the tube is actually pointed down into the overflow tube - if the clip came loose, rusted away or broke, then it may just be filling the toilet tank rather than the bowl. Check that a steady flow (will not be a real foreceful jet) of water is flowing out of this tube into the overflow pipe while the toilet tank is refilling. You should also see the bowl filling up at this time. If it come in but does not fill high enough because it does not run long enough, some fill valves have an adjustment - check fill valve manufacturer website for instructions. Others just have to be replaced - doable if you are handy at home repairs (see web videos on how to do it), or call a plumber for probably about $150-200 to replace fill valve (have him replace the flapper valve at same time if you get this done).

2) there is something like a rag or string caught in the trap (the waste passage within the toilet body itself) which is slowly wicking the bowl water down the drain - would be solved by a good snaking. If this is the case, the bowl will fill fully after flushing, but then slowly (typically many minutes to hours) drain down to just filling the start of the oval or round drain passageway where the waste passage starts to curve up into the toilet body.

3) blocked sewer vent pipe (which vents sewer gas and lets air into the sewer system so when you flush the traps in drains and toilets and such do not get sucked dry by the vacumn caused by the exiting flow. If this is the problem, then several drains in your house may have the same problem, or drain slowly. When you flush, the water will drain totally down the pipe and almost all the water in the bowl and trap will go down the drain too, typically with a gurgling sound for a few seconds at the end as the air seal is broken in the trap, then a small amount of water will flow back from the trap into the bowl, leaving you with water in the entrance curve to the trap but nowhere near normal height in the bowl - maybe not even enough to fill the entrance of the drain passage.

4) a crack in the toilet, letting water gradually leak out of the bowl onto the floor or into the subfloor. If this has been going on for long at all you should see water on the floor, or water coming out in the ceiling downstairs, or in the basement or crawl space under the toilet.

Case 2 - the problem is low water in the toilet TANK - since this is a sudden problem, two likely causes:

1) the float arm has corroded or the float setting has moved. Look in tank for any broken part. You may have a black ball on the end of a metal or plastic arm connected to the fill valve (which is the part, normally at the left side of the tank, that the flexible or copper tubing comes into at the bottom of the tank), or it may be a sliding cylindrical float that slides up and down on the fill valve (typically all plastic) - see if it is broken or loose or alll corroded up (for the arm type). When you flush, this float hangs down (if lever type) or slides down the fill valve (cylinder type), opening the fill valve so fresh water comes in to fill the tank and bowl. As the tank fills it lifts this float, till at the proper elevation the bouyancy of the float shuts off the fill valve. If the setting on this float has changed then it will either cause the toilet to "run" continually because it is trying to overfill the tank (float shuts off at too high a level, so water is continuously flowing down into the overflow tube and into the bowl); or it will shut off too soon, causing only a partial tank fill. There are adjustments to adjust the float shutoff setting - typically an adjustment xxxx on the arm-type, and a slider stop clip on a small rod for the sliding type. See web videos on how to adjust this, or call a plumber.

2) your flapper valve (in bottom of tank, the part a chain or cord or rod connects to the flush handle, which opens it when you flush the toilet, leaks. If it leaks AND the fill valve is working, the tank level drops till the fill valve opens, then the tank refills. This repeats at intervals, with the tank refilling periodically even though it has not been flushed. May need new flapper valve or just a good wiping of the sealing surface to remove grit that is causin it to leak. If this is the problem you will have a slight flow of water into the bowl continually, and will probably see a slight ripple in the toilet bowl.

3) water is leaking out of the fittings or bolt holes on the bottom of the tank. If this is happening enough to make you notice low takn water level, the tank will refill periodically the same as if the flapper valve is leaking, plus you will have water on the floor and dripping off the bottom of the tank.

Fill valve and flapper valves each cost around $15 if you do it yourself (you can buy just replacement flapper for less if that is the problem and the matching seal is good, but that is rarely the case). A plumber call to replace both probably $150-200, ASSUMING your water shutoff valve (at the wall, under the tank, with a flex or copper tube coming fromit up to the toilet tank) will work.. If it will not shut off the flow of water, then add another $50-150 to replace that, depending on how it is plumbed and whether he has to cut into the wall to replace it (rarely required). If you do go and have a plumber do it, have both the fill valve and flapper valve (and flush handle, if aluminum or brass and corroded) replaced at the same time, as all tend to go out with age - every 10 years or so. You don't want to have to call the plumber to replace another part in just a year or two.

From the sounds of it, you have a clog between the floor drain and the connection to the city sewer (unless you have a septic tank). The lower flow rates of sinks / showers / dishwashers probable don't cause a backup like the washing machine does. A couple of suggestions.

1. Snake the drain line with a spade tip snake, twisting the snake as you advance it. This should clear the partial blockage.

2. If feasable, have your washing machine discharge into a utility sink and put a strainer on the drain to catch the clothing fibre (fibres and grease from the sink probably made the clog in the first place not to mention a garbage disposal).

3. Replace your floor drain with one that has a backflow preventer (looks like there is a ping pong ball in it).

It is not uncommon for a plumber to have to go get the parts necessary to repair and complete the job. It is very hard to determine what the problem is over the phone and it is not until the repair process begins that the parts needed to resolve the problem is discovered. It may also depend on if the plumber is using hourly rates or per job rates. I would hope the time to get the parts would be minimal and the charge would be as well!

Well , you've certainly started a debate that will endure forever , but personally , having worked with both products , PEX is a better product . Now granted , the 1st time i used it

I was not impressed , cause it leaked.......NOT because the product was at fault, it was because I did not understand how to use the product !

The trick to using Pex , is to make certain that the fittings seat, they MUST be pushed together with force, and if you do not push with force to get the seat to seal, it leaks .

Therefore , when using PEX , you have constantly to be aware of leaving room to make your connections -Properly !

The beauty of PEX is that it bends , it is flexible and decreases the labor factor ,although the connection costs are often 100-300 % higher than copper , but again , it can cut labor costs in half and it is safer to work with, NO FLAMEs!

1/2 hp then that would be an additional $250 for a grand total of $1300.

said that if I wanted to do the work that same day he could go to the shop and could install that same day. I told him that I would like to get a written estimate and that I was sincerely interested and would definitely be back in touch. I gave him my email upon leaving and he said that I should receive an email from the shop within about 5 to 10 minutes that would include my estimate.
Well I never received an email or estimate. After a week went by, I called again on

27th and told the lady what was going on and she was apologetic and said that she need to look into what was going on and that she would call me back and I would be receiving and estimate as well. Well another evening passed, no call and no estimate.
The next day I call around 11 a.m. and spoke to another lady and explained to her what was going on. Again she apologized and said that

(i believe he is the service manager) would call me back soon.

did call and I was on another call for work so I called back around noon that same day and he evidently just stepped out. She said that he would definitely get back to me. 3 to 4 hours passed and no call so I called yet again. Again I got the lady that I spoke to earlier and I asked her why this was so difficult to just get an estimate and to schedule work she finally puts

(The Service Manager) on the phone.

gets on the phone and essentially makes nothing but excuses on why I have not received an estimate in well over a week. Furthermore he indicates that he can not do what was told to me verbally for that price. He said that if I wanted to do the battery backup sump pump and to replace my primary pump then I would have to downgrade to a 1/3 hp to maintain the $1300 price. If I wanted to replace the primary pump to a 1/2 hp then that would be an additional $200 for a total of now $1500. I made a point to say that we could have avoided all of this he said she said stuff and me wasting a week waiting for them if they would have simply provided an estimate as they promised to do so on numerous of occasions.
I explained to

on how frustrated I was to hear of this news and that I essentially wasted a week of my time waiting to receive something so fundamental as an estimate so that I could make an educated and informed decision. He answer to that was that we did not provide the estimate because we were not sure how serious you were to do the work. I could not believe what I heard and asked him if it was common practice for people to agree to work without obtaining and reviewing an estimate. He did not have much to say to that. Needless to say at that point there was a lot of going back and forth at that point and I knew I was not going to get anywhere with this company so I ended our conversation.
I normally do not do reviews but felt like everyone should know about my experience as I was dumfounded about the complete lack of attention to detail, customer service and overall responsiveness to their potential customers.”

- Zachary Z.

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I submitted a service request from the Angie's List site around 5:00 AM. I was thinking I would call when they opened and they would have the details. I received a response an hour later then a follow-up response an hour after that. I called the office 15 minutes before their normal office hours an was greeted by an actual human! And the person ...More recognized my name and the issue I was having. He said they had a busy schedule, but they would be able to fit me in between 1 and 5 PM. I got a little anxious as 3:30 arrived and I hadn't heard from anyone. I knew office hours ended at 4:00 PM, so I gave them a call. The woman I talked to assured me someone would arrive today. 30 minutes later I received a call from

. He said they were on the way. He arrived before 5. Had the part in hand as he got out of his Van. He and his co-worker had the part replaced and the water heater working a little after 5. The surprise ending was the part and labor was covered by the warranty!
I have used them 3 times and the value is excellent! ”

- Steven K.

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We discovered a leak on our front lawn near our walkway late afternoon on 7-30-15. We searched Angie's List for a plumber and due to the high number of positive comments, decided to go with

. We called about 4 pm and asked if they could send someone out the same day. We were told that they would try to send someone out but ...More it could be the next morning. We honestly were expecting it to be the next day but we received a call from the repairman,

, who said he would be at our home that evening to repair the leak. He arrived as promised and assessed the damage and left for parts. He returned 40 minutes later and made the necessary repairs. He was courteous and efficient. We were very pleased that they were able to come at such short notice. We will be using this company in the future and highly recommend them due to our very pleasant experience with them.”

- Marie J.

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responded quickly to our calls.

arrived on time and was capable and professional. He showed me the cause of the leak and what was done to fix it. He also suggested a drywaller who might help us repair the wall before putting the vanity and granite backsplash back in place. We have used

heater, and provided the pros and cons for both. I decided to replace with a 50

water heater, which he brought over the next day. He replaced the old water heater with the new and took the old water heater away. He was terrific - explaining everything he was doing while he was doing it.
I have used

for all my plumbing issues and I have never been disappointed. They have fixed my toilet in an emergency, replaced my garbage disposal and replaced leaking faucet. In every case, I have been very impressed with both

and

.”

- THERESA G.

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saved us from the dreaded laundry mat. We have an older home
built in the 1960's which did not have the current drainage pipe
diameter or height. With the purchase of a new washing machine the
water was flooding our utility room because the drain pipe was half the
size of the newer homes and ...More not at current code height. We are happily
doing laundry now and grateful that

managed to figure out how to fix
the problem without a great deal of expense.

”

- Bonnie V.

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Rating

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The faulty water heater was still under warranty. It was a Rheem with a six year warranty. After I found my paper work I saw that it was 5 years 11 months and two weeks since I purchased it from Home Depot (I'm a lucky boy). Because it was under warranty I was required to bring the old water heater to Home Depot for an exchange and after six ...More days of cold showers Rheem finally gave me the go ahead to return the broke a** heater..
Anyway, the only thing that really went smoothly was my dealings with

& Son

Plumbing Heating & AC. The first plumbing outfit I called quoted me a price of $800-900. The second,

& Son

Plumbing Heating & AC, quoted me a price of about $300 and they could do it the next day.
I recommend

& Son

Plumbing Heating & AC highly to anyone in the greater

area.

”

- Earl M.

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Rating

“

Treven was professional, punctual, and very pleasant. He gave me two options for the repair, and then we discussed them. I feel confident with my decision for the repair option because Treven gave me great advice and information. That is very important to me. He cleaned up the mess afterwards, and he finished the work quickly. The owners, Nick ...More and

, sent me a thank you card. Very professional. I really enjoyed working with Treven, and I recommended